Serial killer Mickey Mouse film trailer drops same day US copyright of cartoon character expires

Mickey Mouse isn’t just for kids anymore. 

A trailer has dropped for a horror comedy film in which Mickey Mouse is the psycho killer – on the first day that the 1928 Disney short film “Steamboat Willie” has entered the public domain.

“Steamboat Willie” was directed by Walt Disney, and it’s an 8-minute short that was the first film to introduce the famous cartoon. 

It was also considered groundbreaking at the time, for having synchronized sound. 

“Steamboat Willie” entered the public domain on Jan. 1, 2024, and shortly after, a trailer dropped for the horror indie “Mickey’s Mouse Trap.” 

The trailer features a sinister looking psycho in a Mickey Mouse costume, stalking people in an arcade. 

The movie will follow a young woman on her 21st birthday who is doing a late shift at an amusement arcade – so, her friends surprise her. But a masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse has his own game to play with them all. 

The movie stars Sophie McIntosh, Callum Sywyk, Allegra Nocita, Ben Harris, Damir Kovic, Mackenzie Mills, Nick Biskupek and Simon Phillips.

Despite Disney trying to protect its characters, according to U.S. copyright law, works published between 1923 and 1978 are protected for 95 years following the date of publication.

Disney has tried to prevent this from happening, over the years — in 1998, it lobbied for the Copyright Extension Act, which added 20 years, adding up to 95 years. That act would eventually be dubbed the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act.”

“Ever since Mickey Mouse’s first appearance in the 1928 short film ‘Steamboat Willie,’ people have associated the character with Disney’s stories, experiences, and authentic products,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement.

“That will not change when the copyright in the Steamboat Willie film expires. We will, of course, continue to protect our rights in the more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that remain subject to copyright.”

“Mickey’s Mouse Trap” director Jamie Bailey told the Hollywood Reporter, “We just wanted to have fun with it all. I mean it’s ‘Steamboat Willie‘s’ Mickey Mouse murdering people. It’s ridiculous. We ran with it and had fun doing it and I think it shows.”

In the original cartoon short, Mickey Mouse gets into mischievous antics, such as fighting with a goat and playing animals like musical instruments, but it was a kid-friendly cartoon with no slasher movie action. 

Bailey isn’t the only director to jump on Mickey Mouse’s new availability in the public domain – according to Variety, there’s another untitled horror movie in production directed by Steven LaMorte, also based on “Steamboat Willie,” in which a sadistic mouse will torment passengers on a ferry. 

“Steamboat Willie has brought joy to generations, but beneath that cheerful exterior lies a potential for pure, unhinged terror,” LaMorte told the outlet. “It’s a project I’ve been dreaming of, and I can’t wait to unleash this twisted take on this beloved character to the world.”

“Mickey’s Mouse Trap” does not yet have an announced release date, but according to the outlet, it’s aiming for March.